Thermodynamic properties of fullerene C60 solutions in a mixture of tetrachloromethane and toluene

The solubility of fullerene C₆₀ in the tetrachloromethane-toluene system is measured over the entire range of compositions of the mixed solvent in the temperature range 298.15–338.15 K. An equation is proposed for describing the solubility of C₆₀ as a function of the temperature and the composition of the mixed solvent. The equation is used for calculating the thermodynamic characteristics of solution of the fullerene. It is found that, in the investigated C₆₀-CCl₄/C₆H₅CH₃ system, two types of solid solvates of the fullerene with the solvent are formed. The enthalpies and temperatures of incongruent melting of the crystalline solvates are determined by differential scanning calorimetry. The thermodynamic characteristics of solution and solvation of C₆₀ in CCl₄ and C₆H₅CH₃ are obtained. It is shown that the entropy factor plays a decisive role in the temperature dependence of the Gibbs energy of solvation of the fullerene.     

Positron annihilation in C60 and K6C60

The positron density distributions in C₆₀ and K₆C₆₀ have been evaluated using the positron lifetime and Doppler-broadening spectroscopy for the annihilation radiation.In C₆₀, positrons are distributed in the interstitial sites between the C₆₀ molecules,which has been demonstrated by measurements of the temperature dependence of the Doppler-broadening of the annihilation radiation. On the other hand, the positron density distribution must be greatly changed in K₆C₆₀, because positrons are repelled by Coulomb interactions by the positively charged K atoms. It has been observed that there is an extremely short lifetime and a small Doppler-broadening component for the positron annihilation in K₆C₆₀. This component is considered to reflect the positron annihilation inside a C₆₀ molecule.     

Rotation dynamics of C60 molecules in organic superconductor K3C60

The rotation dynamics of C₆₀ molecules in organic superconductor K₃C₆₀ has been investigated from the viewpoint of intramolecular interaction. It is determined that the rotation of C₆₀ at mom temperature has been frozen up within a small region of rotation angle (0°–50°), and pointed out that the reason for the freeze is the physical interaction rather than the geometrical hindrance. The computations of the interactions for alkali-doped compounds A_3-x A′ _x C₆₀ (x = 1, 2, 3; A, A′ = K, Rb, Cs) other than K₃C₆₀ have also been camed out. Fmm the obtained results, it is seen that the superconducting transition temperatures T, are strongly connected with the interactions in them, and this observation is consistent with the discovery of the correlation between T_c, and lattice constants a. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Radiolysis of aqueous DCH18C6 solutions at 77 K

Low-temperature (77 K) γ- and X-ray radiolysis of aqueous DCH18C6 solutions was studied by ESR-spectroscopy. OH radicals, trapped electrons and macrocyclic radicals -CH₂-CH-O- resulting from H-atom abstraction from methylene groups of polyether ring were identified as predominant radiolysis products. Increasing the crown ether concentration in aqueous solution leads to the growth of relative yields of the trapped electron and macrocyclic radicals as well as the decrease of that of hydroxyl radical. Neither radical products of macrocycle rupture nor H-atom abstraction from cyclohexane rings were observed.     

Resonant two-photon ionisation spectroscopy of C 60

The electronic absorption spectrum of C ₆₀ has been measured using a continuous gas phase source which is capable of cooling the molecules to a vibrational temperature below ca. 100 K. The results are in good agreement with a previous high resolution gas phase spectrum reported for the spectral range 595 nm–630 nm, obtained with a pulsed Smalley source [1]. The spectral range down to 450 nm is reported for the first time for a molecular beam expansion and is compared with published spectra obtained in solution [2].     

Thermodynamic Properties of Hydrofullerene C60H36 from 5 to 340 K

The temperature dependence of the molar heat capacity (C⁰ _p) of hydrofullerene C₆₀H₃₆ between 5 and 340 K was determined by adiabatic vacuum calorimetry with an error of about 0.2%. The experimental data were used for the calculation of the thermodynamic functions of the compound in the range 0 to340 K. It was found that at T=298.15 K and p=101.325 kPa C⁰ _p (298.15)=690.0 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹,H^o(298.15)−H^o(0)= 84.94 kJ mol⁻¹,S^o(298.15)=506.8 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹, G^o(298.15)−H^o(0)= −66.17 kJ mol⁻¹. The standard entropy of formation of hydrofullerene C₆₀H₃₆ and the entropy of reaction of its formation by hydrogenation of fullerene C₆₀ with hydrogen were estimated and at T=298.15 K they were Δ_fS^o= −2188.4 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ and Δ_rS^o= −2270.5 J K⁻¹mol⁻¹, respectively. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

C60甲苯介质聚结动力学研究

应琦琮等[1]研究了C60-溶液的聚结动力学,发现在质量浓度0.78～1.29 mg*mL-1和室温(23 ℃～27 ℃)时为慢聚结.用分形理论得到维数为2.1;流体力学半径Rh＝(0.64±0.01) nm;Meidine等[2]用X射线测定C60苯溶剂化的单晶(结构是C60*4C6H6,苯环平行于C60分子表面),溶剂苯中心到C60的距离为0.67～0.68 nm,与文献[1]的结果很接近.     

Influence of fullerene C60 on the kinetics of toluene evaporation

The kinetic dependences of the relative weight loss of the solvent from dilute solutions of fullerene C₆₀ in toluene under ambient conditions were determined. Evaporation of the pure solvent is slower than that of the same solvent from dilute solutions (≤0.01%).     

C60掺杂聚苯乙烯薄膜的荧光发射

采用铸模的方法制得Ｃ６０掺杂的聚苯乙烯薄膜。Ｘ－射线衍射实验表明Ｃ６０已均匀分布在聚苯乙烯薄膜中，在氢离子激光器的激发下，发现该薄膜在５８３ｎｍ处有荧光发射，与空白样品的实验结果进行比较，发现该荧光发射为一新的荧光峰。详细的分析表明其是由于Ｃ６０与聚合物基质间的相互作用，使得跃迁禁阻能极化为跃迁允许能级而造成的。     

Vibration-rotation spectroscopy of molecules trapped inside C60

A simple model is developed to treat the energy levels and spectroscopy of diatomic molecules inside C 60. The C 60 cage is treated as spherically symmetric, and the coupling to the C 60 vibrations is ignored. The remaining six degrees of freedom correspond to the vibrations and rotations of the diatomic molecule and the rattling vibration of the molecule inside the cage. By using conservation of angular momentum, we can remove two of these motions and simplify the calculations. The resulting energy levels are simple and can be labeled by a set of quantum numbers. The IR and Raman spectra look like those of gas-phase diatomic molecules at low temperatures. At higher temperatures, hot bands due to the low-frequency rattling mode appear, and the spectrum becomes congested, looking like a solution spectrum.     

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy studies of diffusion of a weak polyelectrolyte in aqueous solutions

We apply fluorescent correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to investigate solution dynamics of a synthetic polyelectrolyte, i.e., a weak polycarboxylic acid in aqueous solutions. The technique brings single molecule sensitivity and molecular specificity to dynamic measurements of polyelectrolyte solutions. Translational diffusion of Alexa-labeled poly(methacrylic acid), PMAA*, chains was studied in very dilute, 10(-4) mg/ml, solutions as a function of solution pH and ionic strength. The observed changes in diffusion coefficients were consistent with about twofold expansion of PMAA* coils when pH was changed from 5 to 8, and with chain contraction for alkaline metal ion concentrations from 0.01 to 0.1 M. The dependence of the hydrodynamic size of PMAA* chains on the counterion type followed the sequence: Li(+)>Na(+) approximately equal to Cs(+)>K(+). The dependence of translational diffusion on polyacid concentration was weak at the low concentration limit, but chain motions were significantly slower at higher polymer concentrations when PMAA chains overlapped. Finally, measurements of dynamics of PMAA* chains in "salt-free" solutions showed that self-diffusion of PMAA* chains significantly slowed down when PMAA concentration was increased, probably reflecting the sensitivity of PMAA* translational motions to the onset of interchain domain formation. These results illustrate the utility of the FCS technique for studying hydrodynamic sizes of polyelectrolyte coils in response to variation in solution pH or concentration of salt and polyelectrolytes. They also suggest that FCS will be a promising technique for selective observation of the dynamics of polyelectrolyte components in complex polymer mixtures.     

Morphological features of C60 and C70 microcrystals obtained from C6H5CH3 and CCl4 solutions

Fullerene C₆₀ and C₇₀ microcrystals of different morphologies obtained by crystallization from toluene and carbon tetrachloride solutions were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and diffuse reflectance IR Fourier transform spectroscopy. The obtained results are discussed with regard to the features of fullerenes clusterization processes in solutions.     

Formation of excited singlet toluene in the radiolysis of alkane containing toluene in the solid phase at 77 K

When alkane containing a small amount of toluene is irradiated by γ-ray or X-ray in the solid state at 77 K, luminescence from excited toluene is observed. The formation of the excited toluene is not due to direct excitation of toluene by γ-ray or Čerenkov light, but to the rapid energy transfer from the irradiated alkane to toluene. The intensity of luminescence from the excited toluene in the cyclopentane matrix does not correspond at all to the amounts of toluene ions, which are formed by pre-irradiation. The energy transfer is not caused by a free hole and an electron, but by an exciton. Furthermore, the effect of additives on the fluorescence suggests that the Wannier exciton or mobile ion-pair is responsible for the energy transfer in cyclopentane containing toluene in the solid phase at 77 K.     

Band structure studies on crystalline C60, Ca3C60, and Ca5C60

The three-dimensional EHMO crystal orbital calculations for crystalline C₆₀, Ca₃C₆₀, and Ca₅C₆₀ are reported. The ground states of both undoped solid C₆₀ and partially doped Ca₃C₆₀ are found to be insulating with an indirect energy gap of 1.2 and 0.5 eV, respectively. In contrast, Ca₅C₆₀ forms a metallic conducting phase with a set of three half-filled bands crossing the Fermi level, which is found to be located close to a peak of the density of state. The character of crystal orbitals near the Fermi level for both Ca₃C₆₀ and Ca₅C₆₀ is completely carbonlike. In both cases, the Ca atoms are almost fully ionized and C₆₀ molecules form a stable negative charge state with six to 10 additional electrons. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Infrared spectroscopy of endohedral HD and D2 in C60

We report on the dynamics of two hydrogen isotopomers, D(2) and HD, trapped in the molecular cages of a fullerene C(60) molecule. We measured the infrared spectra and analyzed them using a spherical potential for a vibrating rotor. The potential, vibration-rotation Hamiltonian, and dipole moment parameters are compared with previously studied H(2)@C(60) parameters [M. Ge, U. Nagel, D. Hüvonen, T. R??m, S. Mamone, M. H. Levitt, M. Carravetta, Y. Murata, K. Komatsu, J. Y.-C. Chen, and N. J. Turro, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 054507 (2011)]. The isotropic part of the potential is similar for all three isotopomers. In HD@C(60), we observe mixing of the rotational states and an interference effect of the dipole moment terms due to the displacement of the HD rotation center from the fullerene cage center.     

Reconstitution of bacterial photosynthetic unit in a lipid bilayer studied by single-molecule spectroscopy at 5 K

As a model of photosynthetic unit (PSU), self-assembled aggregates of pigment-protein complexes from photosynthetic bacteria were prepared in a lipid bilayer by reconstitution of the light-harvesting 2 (LH2) complex and light-harvesting 1-reaction center (LH1-RC) complex through detergent removal of their micelles in the presence of lipids. By performing polarization-controlled fluorescence and fluorescence-excitation spectroscopy on single aggregates at a temperature of 5 K, the composition of individual aggregates was determined and excitation energy transfer (EET) between constituent complexes was observed. LH2 and LH1-RC from a bacterium, Rhodobacter (Rb.) sphaeroides, were found to form a trimeric aggregate in which EET takes place from one LH2 to two LH1-RCs. In contrast, a heterodimer of LH2 and LH1-RC in which EET works was found to assemble from a combination of complexes of different bacterial species, that is, LH2 from Rb. sphaeroides and LH1-RC from Rhodopseudomonas (Rps.) palustris.     

Single-electron tunneling spectroscopy of single C60 in double-barrier tunnel junction

The single-electron tunneling (SET) spectroscopy of C(60) molecule in a double-barrier tunnel junction is investigated by combining the scanning tunneling spectroscopy experiment and the theoretical simulation using the modified orthodox theory. The interplay between the SET effect and the discrete energy levels of C(60) molecule is studied. Three types of SET spectroscopies with different characters are obtained, corresponding to different tunneling processes and consistent with the previous theoretical prediction. Both the charging mode and resonance mode can arouse the current increase in the SET spectroscopy. The resonance mode is realized mainly by two mechanisms, including the resonance when the electron spans the second junction after already spanning the first junction. Some previous confused results have been clarified. Our results show that three types of SET spectroscopies can be together examined to quantitatively determine the frontier orbitals of the nanostructure by identifying the modes of various current increases.     

Solubilization of fullerene C60 in micellar solutions of different solubilizers

Fullerene (C₆₀), the third carbon allotrope, is a classical engineered material with the potential application in biomedicine. However, extremely high hydrophobicity of fullerene hampers its direct biomedical evaluation and application. In this work, we investigated the solubilization of fullerene using 9 different solubility enhancers: Tween 20, Tween 60, Tween 80, Triton X-100, PVP, polyoxyethylene (10) lauryl ether, n-dodecyl trimethylammonium chloride, myristyl trimethylammonium bromide and sodium dodecyl sulphate and evaluated its antioxidant activity in biorelevant media. The presence of C₆₀ entrapped in surfactant micelles was confirmed by UV/VIS spectrometry. The efficacy of each modifier was evaluated by chemometric analysis using experimental data for investigating the relationship between solubilization and particle size distribution. Hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis was applied and showed that non-ionic surfactants provide better solubilization efficacy (>85%). A correlation was established (r = 0.975) between the degree of solubilization and the surfactant structure. This correlation may be used for prediction of C₆₀ solubilization with non-tested solubility modifiers. Since the main potential biomedical applications of fullerene are based on its free radical quenching ability, we tested the antioxidant potential of fullerene micellar solutions. Lipid peroxidation tests showed that the micellar solutions of fullerene with Triton and polyoxyethylene lauryl ether kept high radical scavenging activity, comparable to that of aqueous suspension of fullerene and BHT. The results of this work provide a platform for further solubilization and testing of pristine fullerene and its hydrophobic derivatives in a biological benign environment.